The protest will be held on Saturday in Carlisle and will be the second in the city as part of a national campaign against benefit cuts.

Around 100 people attended the last Carlisle event earlier this month.

Under the proposals, which are due to be brought in as part of the Government's wider welfare reforms, people with unoccupied bedrooms face having to move to smaller properties or having their benefit payments cut.

Opponents of the Government's changes to housing benefit say that there will be up to 57 protests across the UK.

The demonstrations are timed to happen at 1pm today including in the centre of Carlisle and Whitehaven.

The Government has defended its changes to the welfare system saying that the changes will help cut the £23bn annual bill for housing benefit, free up more living space for overcrowded families, and encourage people to get jobs.

But housing charities are warning that the result will be higher levels of rent arrears, and greater homelessness.

The Labour Party has dubbed the changes a "bedroom tax" but the Government insists that it is wrong to call it a tax.